Shannon Whitworth opens sold out Taft show, Jazz at the Wisp and Roots music at the Zoo

If you were hoping to walk up and buy tickets to check out tonight's show at the Taft Theatre featuring the Grammy-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band, skip the box office and "walk up" to a scalper because the Taft just sent out a press release announcing the show as a sell out. (Read what our Brian Baker had to say about the group here.)If you do have tickets to tonight's 8 p.m. show (doors open at 7 p.m.), be sure to arrive on time to catch opener Shannon Whitworth (pictured). After a self-made Americana debut, the singer/songwriter's career began in earnest in 2009 when she went into the studio with producer Neilson Hubbard (who has worked with a slew of singer/songwriters, including Glen Philips, Garrison Starr and his pal Matthew Ryan). The two emerged with Water Bound, a lovely, eclectic album that touched on Blues, Jazz, Roots music and Rock. Whitworth has a new album due this year in which she collaborates with Band of Horses' bassist Bill Reynolds (who has done behind the scenes work for The Avett Bros. and Lissie), so the evolution of Ms. Whitworth should be interesting to continue to watch.Here's a clip of Whitworth performing live:• Jazz trumpeter Scott Belck performs tonight at the Blue Wisp. Belck is the Director of Jazz Studies at University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, where he succeeded retiring longtime department head Rick Van Matre a couple of years ago. Read our interview from last year with Belck here. For tonight's 7:30 performance at the Blue Wisp, Belck is joined by locals Rusty Holloway, Phil DeGreg and Jim Leslie. Admission is $5. • The 2012 Tunes & Blooms music series at the Cincinnati Zoo concludes tonight with a 6 p.m. concert featuring Folk Rock crew The Turkeys and Americana ensemble Jake Speed & the Freddies. Admission is free but it costs $8 to park in a zoo lot. It might rain. Bring a hat.Here's a clip from a documentary about late local outsider artist Raymond Thunder-Sky featuring Speed's song, "Raymond Thunder-Sky," especially audible towards the end. Looks and sounds like a great project. Click here for more of tonight's live music events.

Saturday night at Molly Malone's in Covington, The Beau Alquizola Band celebrates its new album, 'Weddings in Louisville,' with the solid support bill of Kyle English, Messerly & Ewing and Mike Fair & the Adventure Seekers. Plus there's news about Brent Gallaher's new CD, Freekbass' new trio, Jake Speed's "WoodyFest" and new Jazz all-star group Jada.

April 5 • Arnold's Bar and Grill

While the Opening Day parade has for decades now been a cool little "uniquely Cincinnati" event folks look forward to every year, there is a newer Opening Day tradition that's beginning to rival it in terms of sheer baseball pomp and pageantry. Local Folk and Americana experts Jake Speed & the Freddies host a baseball-themed show the morning before the Reds season's first pitch downtown at Arnold's, and this spring's version is bigger and better.

Early fall is starting to shape up as "music festival" time in Cincinnati. After another spectacular MidPoint Music Festival, you'd think folks might want some down time. Instead, they have plenty more "fest" choices this weekend: Popopolis, Clifton Heights Music Festival, Pharaohfest and a Jake Speed-led tribute to Woody Guthrie.

Local newcomers Mona Medusa celebrate the release of their debut CD, 'Shiver,' Friday with a free show at the Northside Tavern that includes performances by local Rock bands The Host, Caterpillar Tracks and The Prohibitionists. For their set, Mona Medusa promise a theatrical production in the form of a short play intended to reflect the new CD (not sure what that means, but I was sent a Lone Ranger mask to wear to the show).